In
the weeks before this year’s season began, the guys over at MLS.com made one
bit of fantasy strategy quite clear: take advantage of the weeks when teams
play twice to double your opportunities to earn points. Seems like simple
multiplication, but low scores in week 7 taught me that there’s a little more
to it.
Know
Your Players
It’s
easy to look at a player’s current total score compared to their cost and make
value judgments, but unfortunately these two pieces of information may not be
enough to judge a player’s quality and points potential for any given game,
especially this early in the season.
Take
for example Leonardo Fernandes of the Philadelphia Union. At 26 total points
for only $5.4, Fernandes seems a great buy at the bigginning of week seven with
the Union headed into a double-game week. Such was my thinking as I snagged him
up before the set of two games. Unfortunately, the purchase didn’t pan out as
I’d hoped.
While
Fernandes’s point’s average looked good, I missed two key factors that might
have helped me make a better purchasing decision. First, Fernandes is not
consistent in his points per game. A couple of seven to eight point games
increased his early average, but the majority of his games were ones and
zeroes. Despite the two game advantage, a little basic math tells us that one
times two isn’t very much.
The
second factor I should have considered was Fernandes’s playing time in each
game. A quick look at his history shows me that he has only played the full 90
minutes twice this season. This should have been a sure sign to me that he
would be subbed, which he was, in a two match week. Twice as many games doesn’t
mean much when a player only spends a total of 90 minutes on the pitch.
In
week seven, the two-game week for the Union, Fernandes scored a total of 3
points. Not exactly a high-benefit trade for the week.
Consistent
Scoring Positions
Instead
of looking at solely at point totals and cost, you might be better off looking
at consistent scorers in consistent scoring positions. Forwards and attacking
midfielders are good investments in the long run, when the games that they
contribute to scoring drives average out with the games that they don’t, but
relying on them to perform in a single game might be a bit of a gamble.
Instead,
look at defenders who are defending well every game. Regardless of the outcome
of any given game, a good defender will accrue at least a few points. An almost
guaranteed 6 points from a defender in a two game week seems a pretty solid
buy. If you’re lucky, you may even get a stand-out performance such as the one
from Gaddis or Okugo in week seven and double that point total.
Stick
With What Works
Another
option is to just forget about the double game week and stick with what’s working
for you. I dropped Aurelien Collin in week seven in order to free up funds to
purchase some Philadelphia Union players. Had I stuck with Collin, I would have
bagged 14 points for the week (possibly even 28 if I captained him), more
points than the total of all my Union players put together for week 7.
Of
course, an opportunity for double points is hard to pass up, so…
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Upcoming
Double Game Weeks
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Week 10
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Houston Dynamo
Columbus Crew
Seattle Sounders
FC Dallas
San Jose Earthquakes
Colorado Rapids
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Week 11
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Sporting KC
Philadelphia Union
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Week 12
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DC United
Houston Dynamo
LA Galaxy
FC Dallas
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Week 13
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Sporting KC
Chivas USA
Portland Timbers
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Week 14
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Columbus Crew
Real Salt Lake
Colorado Rapids
Chicago Fire
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Week 15
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NONE
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Week 16
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Vancouver Whitecaps
Montreal Impact
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